Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-15

priatioBs will have to consider where the
money is to come from which supplies
them.n
"What will be the character of the ses-
sion politlcally?"
81 do not think that it will be q stormy
one, and it will be practically free from
attacks upon the President. He is re-
garded by the people as trying to do
right. II he has made any mistakes he
has tried to remedy them, and the only
attack which could be made upon him by
his own party would be in regard to the
civil-serVice law, ard this Is not as severe
81 the one advocated in our platform of
1876"
"Do you think the law has been sue
cess?"
'I am not prepared to say. There GER
tainly should be some changes in it.
There should be no forty-fve years lin
its to the departments, and all eligible ap-
piicants should be presented to the de-
psrtments?"
Will you have any amendments to pro-
pose to the interstate commerce law2"
81 do not know. The law will undoubt
eddy be changed, and the subject will
continue to be legislated upon until max
imum freight and passenger rates are
fixed by law. I do not think the action
OF the present commission as to the long
and short haul clause has amounted to
much, but it has been valuable as COL
lector Of statistics and OF information
about the railroads. 1t may be that We
will at some time regulate the telegraph
rates CT the United States in the same
way, and think tina. the passage Of such
e law would be much better than the tax.
ing OF the telegraph into he hands of the
government. The day will have to come
when the prices Of kilograms and ther rates
of both passenger and freight traffic will
be fixed by Congress"
Speaking of the inter state commerce
law, its author was Senator Cullom of
Illinois, and 1t was due to his bulldog
pertinacity that its passage Was secured
Mr. Cullom says that the Only method Of
getting bill of this kind through Con-
gress is to hang to it as dog does to 8
bone, and he now proposes TO push the
postal telegraph with the same energy
that he devoted last session TO inter-
state commerce. He says: "The inter
state commerce law has come to stay.
Tae people will never consent to its being
blotted out. If We repeal the law they
WON1eA tAlAh tAaS SOHS&SSo WOO SAfSA
over to the corporations, and l AN sure
That the working of the law hos been Tor
the general good Of the country. Il may
have hurt certain localities, such IS the
Pacific coast, but it certainly his bene-
ed the remainder Of the United States,
srd it will, 1 doubt not, be SO amended
that it will work to the good OF the Whcle
country"
"The passage of the interstate com.
merce bill,'' Senator Cullom went on,
"wss a surprise TO the railroads. The
subject had been before Congress for {
IoDg time, but nothing had been done,
and the big railroad corporations appre
hended no danger. I had learned the
need of an interstate commerce IL"
while l was Governor of Illinois. We hEC
s railroad commission, and | recon
mended to them numerous changes in thf
railroad regulations OF the state. UpoI
| attempting TO put these II operation WIS
found We were hampered in nearly ever,
instance by constitutional limitations
and the commission could do nothing be-
cause OF these. I then determined tia
if got back to Congress would do al
in my power to pass an interstate com
merce bill. introduced one during my frs
Yesr in the Senate, and succeeded II pass
ing it there. 1t failed however in tn
House, but it aroused &C much interest /
the Senate that Senator Allison and Otner
advised NE to move q resolution Of IN
qGiry into the subject. l felt backWar
about it, and said that l did not like
during my first year in the Senate, to Off
s resolution Which would open place 70
me; for [ knew I should be put upon To
committee of inquiry if l offered the rese
luton. I was overpersueded however
, and I think Allison wrote out the resolr
ton. The committee was appointed, an
we travelled over the country taking ties
J timony upon the subject. was sur
prised to find that the railroad me
stunned the committee and that W
/ could not get them before US e1
cept by subp9ns. They evidentl
thought it was demagouery, that "
were not in earnest, and that we wer
! simply trying to make political capiti
for ourselves. As s result of these In
vestigstions we reported the bill who
| passed the Senate. The Reagan bi
passed the House and committee OF col
ference was appointed. At this time tt
; rsilroad men began to wake up. The
d. showered telegrsms in upon US, askin
e why they had not mad chance to
5 heard and Whist We meant by Crowdin
: legislation so important as this throus
e Congress. They did not reflect that the
5 had had year snd half to think ov'
: the matter, and that they had not r
K sponded to our request for infOImatlo
| n o.